A-Bird-Bath-art - 7/26/08 "A Bird Bath, or: what I did with herbs last weekend!" by HL Elaine de Montgris (known as 'Lainie). A ceremonial bath for a new Pelican. NOTE: See also the files: peerage-cerem-msg, peerage-vigls-msg, knighthood-msg, fealty-art, Fealty-n-t-SCA-art, The-Peerage-msg, Som-Per-Ideas-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 01:34:31 -0700 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org From: "Laura C. Minnick" Subject: [Sca-cooks] A Bird Bath, or: what I did with herbs last weekend! It occurred to me that several of you might be interested in hearing what I did last weekend- I provided a full Vigil Bath for a very dear friend of mine who was going to be elevated to the order of the Pelican in the morning. This involved a large (130 gal) stock tank (vinyl, not galvanized. Eyuew!), about 50 gallons of water, my pavilion and poster frame, and several hours of research to recreate the ceremonial that I had written last time I did this several years ago, but some how did not have a copy of, so... Aleyn is one of the senior members of the local Hospitallers, so they rounded up all of their water cans, filled them the night before, and left them in the sun all day. When we poured the bath about 9 pm, the water was perfect. Lessee... I set up the poster bed frame inside my pavilion, but didn't put the bed inside. Instead I covered the area with rugs and set the tub up against one of the long sides of the bed frame, which was against the back wall of the pavilion. Had all of the curtains up on the bedframe, and curtains between the corners of the bed and the pavilion walls, so there was space to stash things. I have two small folding tables, they fit exactly into the back corners at the ends of the tub. Covered those with cloths, one candelabrum each. The left hand one also got my pretty new Madonna statue (She is 'vaihrry naihce'). There was a nice period chair in the empty corner of the frame, on the right, and on the left was the extra water, the basins and ewers, the rosewater, etc. I laid several layers of white sheeting in to line the tub, and then I stripped a whole bunch of fresh herbs into the bottom- rosemary, sage, lemon balm, beards of fennel, and oregano flowers. When we poured in the warm water it was really intense. And then I added rosewater. When we got everyone ready to go, my student Laurence, who is also a Hospitaller, stood at the door and read this portion of the script (which was sewn together from bits of texts including Geoffery de Charnay _Le Livre de Chevalerie_, the anonymous Ordene de Chevalerie, _Ouevres de Froissart_, and _Li Romans de Durmant le Galois_): (before entering the bath) "Before you is the Bath of Courtesy and Bounty. As you enter and dwell therein, reflect on your need to cleanse your body henceforth, from impurities of sin, and any dishonorable ways of life~ you shall leave any such impurities in the water, and as recalling the baptism of infants, you will come out of the water with clean conscience, emerging clean and pure as an infant from the font." Mavis snuck in and took pictures before Aleyn got into the water- I'm hoping they turn out. Aleyn stripped down and got into the tub, and I read the Pater Noster in Latin. Laurence read this portion as Aleyn bathed: "Think on these things as you ready yourself for the vigil before you. As a Peer of the realm, you must be freed from wickedness, so to win a place in Paradise. You must be willing to shed your blood in defense of God, and of the Crown you serve. You must often contemplate your own death, and thereby avoid pride. You must keep your body pure and avoid liscentiousness. You must hasten to action with the love of God and the honor of the Crown in your heart. You must preserve this inseperable pair of virtues~ Justice and loyalty. And always be ready to return your soul to God, rendering fair account for your deeds." I read the Ave Maria, and after washing his hair, the Credo. Then, as Aleyn was leaving the bath and dressing in clean white clothes, Laurence read: "Hold close these virtues: hardinesse or courage, loyalty, and prowess. Be always courteous and generous; be of fair speech. Ferocious shall you be against evil, while frank and debonair to friends." When Aleyn was dressed, but before leaving the pavilion: "And now remember this: Every new peer should make a good beginning. Remember these words here tonight, and Godspeed you to your new life." With the candles and the steam and the warm water, and everything, Aleyn said it was a most wonderful experience- and indeed made him feel as if he was experiencing a part of the Middle Ages for real. And me? "Yippee!!" And then we had to bail the tub. Hey- can't re-use the water if he's left his sins in it! I dated the man! I know some of those sins! Encouraged him in them even! ;-D) Was great fun and a worthwhile experience. He cried. I cried. I cried some more the next day during the ceremony. And then I had a nap! 'Lainie bathmaiden to peers... Edited by Mark S. Harris A-Bird-ath-art 3 of 3